Bayern vs. Bayer - Saturday (KO 15:30 CET). A prestige Bundesliga clash will take place at the Allianz Arena: first vs. third, best against third-best attack, best team from the first half of the season vs. the second-best team in the second half of the season. Here's all the information before Saturday's home match in the preview:
The gallery from the last training session before the game:
FC Bayern as it stands
The 1-0 away win at Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday alongside Dortmund's 1-1 draw have given FCB an eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga. This cushion at the top will either be maintained or grow - as Dortmund's game in Mainz has been postponed until 16 March. "The mood in the camp is great - as always," midfielder Marc Roca said, giving an insight into the dressing room. This spirit should carry the team through the next busy week, with the Champions League last 16 second leg against FC Salzburg on Tuesday. "Now we have exciting games coming up with Leverkusen, Salzburg and Hoffenheim," head coach Julian Nagelsmann said. "Until now we've always been there when it matters - and now, it matters." First of all, the focus is all on Leverkusen. Roca sees Bayer 04 as a "dangerous team" that are currently on a "good run of form".
Watch Roca - speaking in German! - ahead of the weekend's game:
The opponents: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
A Werkself in good form arrive at the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon. Gerardo Seoane's team have won five of their last six Bundesliga matches, including a 5-2 away victory in Dortmund. Although top scorer Patrik Schick (20 goals), second in the goalscoring charts behind Robert Lewandowski (28), is out, the Rhinelanders still have plenty of attacking options. The standout players in a strong side are Moussa Diaby, with seven goals since the second half of the season started (the second-best Bundesliga scorer in 2022 behind Lewandowski on nine), and Florian Wirtz, with ten assists the second-best BL provider behind Thomas Müller (16). After the 5-1 defeat in the first half of the season against FCB, Seoane will try to prevent Bayern from exploiting their attacking prowess this time: "We want to defend well and have to make it so that they can't bring their attacking class into the game."
The best games between Bayern and Leverkusen since 2000 in pictures:
Squad news ahead of FC Bayern vs. Leverkusen
Manuel Neuer was able to get involved in team training for the first time again on Friday after knee surgery, but he is not yet an option for Saturday. Leon Goretzka (after knee problems) and Corentin Tolisso (muscle fibre tear) are also on the road to recovery. Both are out, as are Alphonso Davies (mild signs of myocarditis) and Lucas Hernández (suspended). Julian Nagelsmann also confirmed during the press conference that Marcel Sabitzer is feeling better after his bout of flu and that Bouna Sarr is also available again. "The same goes for Josip Stanišić," said the head coach, who can again count on Thomas Müller (after recovering from Covid) and on Niklas Süle (after back problems, though he is still rated doubtful).
The Werkself are without Schick, Karim Bellarabi and Andrey Lunev. Robert Andrich is still a doubt after a problem in his knee.
Good news for Neuer:
What the coaches say:
Julian Nagelsmann: "A goal spectacle would certainly be good for the fans. For us the coaches, however, it depends on the outcome of the game. A very important element will be who controls the game. For us, the rest of the defence will be very important, because Leverkusen's four players who play on the counter are extremely dangerous, we have to pay attention to that. No matter who plays, they have a lot of pace. We have to be prepared for that. I don't expect them to be like they were in the first half of the season, where they were incredibly attacking. I expect them to press very hard at times, but overall I think they will play a little deeper."
Watch Nagelsmann in Friday's presser here:
Gerardo Seoane (Bayer 04 Leverkusen head coach): "Certain games have an added appeal. A good performance is not enough, you need a top performance. FC Bayern have dominated German football for ten years. But we have also developed, grown. It's a process to get to a position where you play every game to the same level of consistency. We want to bring a good level of performance onto the pitch tomorrow."
The key facts ahead of the game against the Werkself:
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